Officers were called to the area of 48 Pratt St. at about 2:43 a.m. where the victim was found lying outside a house.

Witnesses told NewsCenter 5 that the 21-year-old victim was lying on the street with multiple stab wounds. Friends of the victim were trying to assist him before medical help arrived, witnesses said.

Alex Breski said he had been at a nearby party and ran out when he heard the commotion.

“I ran out right after it happened. People were running in different ways and he was on the ground -- all his friends were putting pressure on the wounds,” Breski recalled. “When the paramedics arrived I don't think he was breathing. He wasn't moving too much.”

The victim was transported to Beth Israel Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

After interviewing several witnesses, police charged Brian MacDonald, 24, of Boston, with murder. He is expected to be arraigned Wednesday in Brighton District Court.

The number of homicides in the city has fallen in recent years. The Boston Globe reports the city had 58 in 2012, compared to 62 in 2011 and 74 in 2010.